


You don't remember me?

by who_is_mattatatatat



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 04:26:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15307464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/who_is_mattatatatat/pseuds/who_is_mattatatatat
Summary: Carlos has been re-woken from the dead and he doesn't know why. He tries to find his lover in hopes that he can explain what's going on. Though once he finds him he's shocked to see that he cannot hear or see him. In fact, what breaks his heart, is that Cecil doesn't remember him whatsoever.Maybe a mirror in the mens bathroom can help out.





	You don't remember me?

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Welcome to Night Vale](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/398046) by Written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Narrated by Cecil Baldwin.. 
  * Inspired by [Welcome to Night Vale](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/398049) by Written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Narrated by Cecil Baldwin.. 



> This is my first Welcome to Nightvale fanfic I've ever done before! I hope you enjoy it.

_“This evenings traffic has been blocked due to multiple cats blocking highway 75 and will be expected to move on in the next few day or so. Multiple cats have crawled and wedged themselves in many people exhast pipes causing many crashes. The Sheriffs Secret Police haven't given out any actual statements except multiple "awww's" and "Look how cute they are!".”_

His voice. Cecil’s voice. God knows how long it’d been since Carlos has heard him speak. He had almost forgotten how beautiful his voice sounded over the radio. How smooth and dark his voice was when he talked about everyday life. He had long forgotten how cute he sounded when he would talk about his interactions with Khoshekh in the men’s bathroom.

He watched his lover fondly from the opposite side of the room, his legs crossed on the table. He found it funny that it was the exact same table that Cecil had bought him to work on “science projects” while Cecil chatted away to Nightvale. Cecil always wanted them to be close and Carlos was more than happy to do paperwork with him.

God he missed every second of it.

_“Do you ever feel upset for no reason and need a place to sit to calm down? Let me tell you this Night Vale, a great place to go is Radon Canyon.”_ He sounded like he was going to pitch a product. _“I have to confess it has been awhile since I’ve been to Radon Canyon myself! I would take long walks down there alone and, despite living here my whole life, I would often get lost. But you see, I would always find my way back to Nightvale in some form or another.”_ His voice dropped an octave and he slowed down as if he was suddenly in deep thought. Actually, he sounded almost like he lost. Like a lost confused boy. _“It’s as though I had someone to guide me to the way back home. Someone to point me in the right direction.”_ He chuckled and instantly changed the tone. “Wouldn’t it have been so romantic if I had gotten lost with someone who knew the way? Don’t you think so, dear listener?”

Carlos’s metaphoric blood boiled as he crossed his arms, his nails digging into his “skin”. After he had “returned” it had taken him five years to accept that Cecil had somehow forgotten him. He couldn’t understand why he was…why he was haunting Cecil. Why he was haunting Nightvale? Why he had “come back to life” over a hundred years after he died! It upset him greatly that he couldn’t understand what was going on. He was a scientist! Scientists are supposed to understand what’s going on, right? And if they don’t then they figure it out. So why couldn’t he understand?

_“Speaking of romance my dear listeners, I believe I have found someone who is very, very interesting! He works at the University of What It Is and majored in geology. I don’t seem like much of the dating type but, this new man, this new interesting and mysterious man, well..I suppose you could say_ I fell in love instantly _.”_

It took him a few seconds to compute what Cecil had just said. His mind completely glossed over the next few seconds of whatever Cecil was now talking about. “You...what?” He slowly slid off the table and made his way over. He leaned over to get a better look at his face. It was still as smooth and gorgeous as he remembered. He kept on chattering with a calm and happy face. When he had first moved to Nightvale and had tuned into the local radio he heard Cecil talking about him. _“I fell in love instantly.”_.

He eased himself on to the edge of Cecil’s desk feeling as though he was in a trance. He watched him closely. The expression on his face, the look in his eyes, the tugging of a smile at the edge of his lips before he began babbling over something exciting. Cecil took in a deep breath before smiling warmly.

_ “In other news-”  _ Cecil shuffled a few of his papers around looking for the next few papers.  _ “Oh.. It seems I can’t find today's commercial. I usually have it pre-recorded so I can check on Khoshekh. As you all know he suffered a great injury a few weeks ago when the gravity went out  _ but  _ he is doing  _ much _ better. Well, if I cannot find today’s commercial then I take you,”  _ He dramatically paused for a second.  _ “To the weather.”  _ Cecil pulled off his headset and sighed. He began mumbling to himself but Carlos didn’t care enough at the moment to lean in closer to hear him better.

“What do you mean?” Carlos whispered. He tried to put his hand on his shoulder but it went straight through his body. Just like expected. He tried to reason with himself that Cecil had the right to fall in love and see other people all he wanted. Cecil couldn’t remember him so why shouldn’t he find love?

_ “I feel like I’ve forgotten something.”  _ Cecil said clearly now leaning back in his chair. This snapped Carlos out of his thought making him straighten. Irrational thoughts began to form making him frown. He mocked Cecil in his head which only fueled his growing anger.  _ “Did I really forget to record the commercial? Maybe I just can’t find it. OR maybe I set it somewhere and forgot where it is.” _

_“You forgot _me_!” Carlos cried out. He tried to push his hands through the unread papers as an attempt to get his attention. It failed. “Screw your damn commercial.” He growled uncharacteristically. “How the _hell_ did you forget me? _Why_ can’t you remember me? What did I do wrong?” When he didn’t respond a hard lump formed in his throat. “Cecil, goddammit!” He tried to swallow it but it refused to go down, his voice making a strangled sound instead. “Fuck!” _

_ He gripped his hair feeling hopeless. “I did everything for you. And you did everything for me. Cecil? Honey?” _

Carlos ran his hands through his hair, his fist curling around his hair distraught and let out a frustrated groan. “Do you really not remember our first date? Do you really not remember us sitting us in the car..holding hands...me leaning across and sharing our first kiss? Do you not remember our multiple late nights just sitting in the Arby’s parking lot on the hood of your car. Do you not remember how fucking  _ awful  _ it was when I was trapped in the dog park? H-how can you not remember wh-when..” Carlos couldn’t find the words to continue on.

  
There was a long pause between them before Cecil spoke again.  _ “I think I may have just forgotten to record it. That’s alright, I suppose. I could just record two tomorrow morning before airing and play them when time comes.”  _ Cecil hummed and jumped out of his chair.  _ “I should check that raskel of a cat.” _ He was grinning and it broke Carlos.

“I remember when you first introduced me to Khoshekh.” Carlos followed behind him. “How you pumped yourself up with so many different syringes that I thought you were going to kill yourself but, you didn’t. It baffled me to no end and honestly? I never did figure out how you survived.” He followed him into the mens bathroom. He had always stayed away from with a mild fear that his allergies could kick in even when dead.

_“Khoshekh? Khoshekh~”_ Cecil knocked on the door. A small meow answered back. It was more like a person in the distance yelling but a meow nonetheless.  _ “There’s daddy’s little kitten! Oh, you’ve already eaten all your food? Why, who’s such a good kitty! Eating everything today and not spitting it back up. Good baby.”  _ Cecil scratched Khoshekh’s chin and it purred, an actual normal cat like purr.

Carlos leaned back against the door and watched the interaction. He took notice though to the uncovered mirror which made him stare in confusion. Cecil usually had every mirror he ever came into contact with covered. It was from something his mother would always say no matter what you told her. “Beware. Be warned. Be wary.” He mumbled. Though it wasn’t entirely that that made him confused and slightly panicked.

_ He could see himself. _

In all of Nightvale he had failed to see his reflection in any mirror or glass. He chalked it down due to the fact he was now a “ghost”.

Cecil looked up and began to play with his hair, Khoshekh curling up going back to sleep. Carlos sighed when his hands went straight through him. Just. As. Predicted. He knew Cecil was actually trying to fix it but in reality all he did was make it much worse than it already was. In fondness and nostalgia Carlos stepped forward and tried to run his hands through Cecil’s hair to actually style it. Cecil had always been so god awfully terrible at these things, including dressing himself. But he could blame him entirely. He did grow up without mirrors.

_ “Who  _ are  _ you?”  _ Cecil asked slowly staring behind him. It took a few second for Carlos to understand what he meant for he turned around to see if anyone else was there. He hadn’t heard the door open so when he didn’t see anyone he turned back around to see a nearly terrified Cecil. This was an expression he never saw. Not since they met and dear lord never throughout their whole lives together.  _ “Who. Are. You.”  _ Cecil asked once again more firmly yet still soft.

“It’s..I’m Carlos.” Carlos didn’t know what to say and scolded himself for just giving an introduction.

_ “I didn’t know the studio was haunted.”  _ Cecil muttered curiously. He spun around to greet him properly but when he didn’t see Carlos he became confused. He frowned and spun around back to the mirror and saw him again.  _ “Are you trapped in the mirror?”  _ He tapped the mirror, even patting it up and down as if it was a trick and he was trying to figure it out. He spread his hand around Carlos’s body.

“Can you actually hear me?”

_ “Not particularly. It’s like you’re shouting from a few rooms away but I can read your lips just fine. You’re very handsome.”  _ Cecil tried to compliment him to make this new stranger more comfortable. Instead it made Carlos look as though he might jump out of his skin..if he could.

“Do you remember me?” Carlos smiled softly, a sliver of hope pushing through his heart.

In a split second Carlos’s knees gave way and he doubled over the ground. His whole body began to shake. His arms crossed over his head, his fists full of hair tightly pulling, his head in his lap and the hardest knot he’d ever felt form in his chest. This wasn’t fair. The dead shouldn’t be able to feel this way.  _ This wasn’t fair. _ He began to sob uncontrollably.

He sucked in a deep breath and screamed as loud as he could, as loud as he ever knew possible. It was blood curdling, heart wrenching, broken hearted cries and he couldn’t stop.

Cecil stood on his toes still looking through the mirror horrified. He didn’t understand what was going on. He couldn’t make out the words Carlos was crying out. For the first time in quite awhile he wasn’t sure what to do. It made him upset that for some reason he was only able to see this man through the mirror and nothing more. He couldn’t reach out and touch him to comfort him. He wanted to help so badly but didn’t know how. _“How..can I help?”_

“You can’t. You don’t understand. You can’t understand.” Carlos pushed himself to sit up. His glasses were hanging on his face crookedly, his face now bright red. “You don’t remember me and there’s nothing I can do to help you understand.” Carlos took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes harshly.

_ “You’re right. I don’t understand. Though,”  _ He paused trying to think.  _ “Maybe you could tell me what I’ve possibly forgotten. Would that help?”  _ It was the best he could offer.

Carlos’s breathing was hitched as he thought about it. “I’ve been here for five years now and I don’t know why. I spent my so many years of my life with you. I don’t know what happened but it seems as though once I died you forgot me. You forgot everything about me. As though I was never there in the first place.”

_  
Cecil nodded along trying his best to understand.  _ “I don’t remember spending many years with anyone but my family and myself alone.”  _ Cecil explained. _

“I know. I remember. You grew up in old Nightvale. You love to write terrible fan fiction of Jaws that no one asked for but got anyways. You love to carve wooden statues of Khoshekh.” Carlos listed off Cecil’s interests in hopes that would create a snowball effect. “You loath Steve Carlsburg.”

_ “I do like to do those things. But I don’t know who Steve Carlsburg is.”  _ Cecil said. That caught Carlos off guard. Almost like a punch to the face. Anytime anyone mentioned Steve’s name Cecil would become ridged and go on a irritated tangent about why Steve is terrible.

“Wha- Yes you do. Steve is you sister's husband. Janice's daughter? Your niece?” Carlos grunted as he undignifiedly stood up.

Cecil’s brows furrowed and he frowned.  _ “I don’t have a sister or brother in law or niece. I was an only child.”  _ Cecil looked to Khoshekh as if he had answers. The cat only stirred in its sleep causing it to flip over.

“But..” Carlos grasped at straws. “You..you..you were bought by Hiram McDaniels, the violet head, and had periodical blackouts when he used you. Don’t you remember that?” Carlos asked. “Or..or when Strex Corp came to Nightvale! All of Nightvale was held captive by them, even you! Kevin and Lauren took over the radio show. You helped rebel against Strex along with Tamika.”

_ “As far as I can remember we haven’t had anyone ‘take over’ Nightvale. Sure, we’ve had our hardships every now and then. Like the Glow Cloud, all hail, but we got over it and everything settled back to normal.”  _ Cecil sighed softly.  _ “Listen my dear friend, I want to chat with you more but I must get back to my radio. We’ve been talking for,”  _ He checked his wrist watch.  _ “Oh my, nearly six hours. I’ll see you again though.” _

Carlos had forgotten how time was real in Nightvale and that no one seemed to notice nor care.

 

_ “Though I should say before I go,”  _ Cecil turned around and looked Carlos in the eye.

_ “Goodnight Carlos, goodnight.” _

 

With that he walked out of the bathroom leaving Carlos and his memories behind.

**Author's Note:**

> " Goodnight Nightvale, goodnight. "


End file.
